Feature: Roller skiing ignites children's winter sports dreams

HOHHOT, China, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- At the mass competition of China's 14th National Winter Games, the team from Shandong Province performed with stability and smoothness, even though they had never been on snow before.

The members were all students and teachers from a school in Yangxin County, Binzhou City. The youngest member was only nine years old.

Their coach, Wen Mingjian, also a physical education teacher at the school, said that compared to China's northeastern regions with abundant ice and snow resources, his hometown lacks in the tradition of snow sports, and there was also a lack of suitable training venues. They typically relied on roller skiing to train.

Roller skiing serves as a non-snow season training method for cross-country skiing. Athletes are able to improve their skills and abilities on the skis by using their roller counterparts.

Wen said that roller skiing provides an effective way to bring winter sports to schools in most areas with little snow and ice, and it can assist children in laying a foundation for snow-related sports.

He remarked, "I used to teach roller skating. As for why I later switched to teaching roller skiing and became involved in ice and snow sports, there is a story behind it."

In 2010, Wen came to a local school to teach roller skating. Seeing only a few figures on the playground made him feel a little sad.

At that time, roller skating was not a popular activity in the small county town. Parents were not very supportive, and children's interest was also lacking.

But Wen remained undeterred. He founded the school's first roller skating club and used his spare time to teach children how to skate. Transitioning from not being able to balance to gliding gracefully, the children's joy gradually ignited Wen's hope.

Among Wen's first batch of students, a boy named Wang Ye impressed him. Recalling his experience, Wen said, "The boy was in the third grade at the time. His academic performance was average, but he was very hardworking and dedicated."

Wang Ye followed Wen's training until he graduated from elementary school, and later he was admitted to a sports school.

In 2015, Beijing won the bid to host the 24th Winter Olympic Games. Subsequently, winter sports began to gain popularity in China, and the country stepped up the establishment of ice and snow sports teams.

Wen noted that at the time, the national cross-country skiing team came to select players, primarily assessing roller skating skills. Ultimately, Wang Ye surpassed other classmates with better physical fitness thanks to his prior training, and was selected for the national team.

"I didn't expect that my efforts really changed the child's destiny." Wen acknowledged that he realized ice and snow sports would be a hot spot for athletes, but he faced challenges due to the lack of suitable training and participation methods.

After talking to Wang Ye, Wen realized that roller skiing was an effective way to cultivate talents in snow sports, prompting him to start teaching roller skiing.

In 2021, Wen transferred to a newly established school in his hometown. There, he implemented his plan to cultivate more talents in snow sports through roller skiing.

Initially, parents were resistant to this unfamiliar endeavor. However, Wen did not lose heart. Demonstrating the charm of roller skiing to the children on the playground, they found it fascinating and became eager to try.

Subsequently, he communicated patiently with the parents, explaining that the exercise is beneficial for children's physical fitness and willpower, and eventually dispelled their doubts.

Wen witnessed significant changes in the children. A gloomy little girl became cheerful and confident, and a boy who was addicted to video games regained his vitality and later successfully joined the national youth team of ski mountaineering.

These vivid examples made Wen feel gratified. He realized that he was not only teaching children a sport, but also shaping their future with the perseverance of ice and snow sports. His class has become increasingly popular, with the number of students growing to 75 from 35 initially.

Wen has sacrificed countless weekends and holidays to teach roller skiing for free. Even when he led the team to participate in the National Winter Games, his two-year-old son was still in the hospital. But he never regretted it.

Wen is planning to recruit more students into roller skiing training, and he also plans to help children prepare for biathlon. He said, "What kept me going is the change I saw in children, and my wish to train more talents for national teams, as well as the understanding and support from my family."